Country Love

i

 I jump off of Belle, the Sloanes' newest addition. She needed to be broken in and I'd done a pretty great job. I'd grown up around horses, I spoke their language, and really understood them. Me and Belle, we were two halves of the same soul, she understood what I needed her to do and I knew what was going on in that complex mind of hers.

I'm brushing Belle when Chad walks in. Caught off guard by the crunching of hay under his boots, I flinch, and he gives me a handsome smirk.

"Did I scare you, Brianna?" he asks.

"No," I reply, "I was just surprised."
His devilish grin doesn't leave his face as he reaches for the hayfork, his biceps flexing under the thin fabric of his white linen shirt.

"What are you doing?" I ask.

"I'm picking up the hayfork, what does it look like I'm doing?" he replies, shooting me a wry look.

I scowl at him, letting him know of my frustration. The look of amusement doesn't leave his face. I march towards him, and snatch the hayfork from his hand. He gives me a quizzical look.

"I get paid by the hour." I remind him.

He picks up the other hayfork, and now it's my turn to give him a quizzical look.

"Brianna, I can be a nice person, sweetie."

Sweetie.

"I'll impale you with this hayfork." I threaten him.

He chuckles, "You can try."

We get to work, cleaning the stables silently. I steal a glance at Chad, watching the powerful muscles in his back shifting. I look away before he can see me. Boys like Chad, you can never trust them, one second they're whispering sweet nothings into your ear and the next second they're off with the popular girls, partying late into the night.

I have a history of being unloved. My own parents kicked me out of their house as soon as I turned eighteen and it broke my heart. But that was not the only heartbreak I had suffered from.

In middle school, I had this best friend. Brad. We were inseparable, we really were. Until high school. But, enough about Brad, I don't like thinking about him.

He was the one who convinced Chad to let me work and stay at his family's barn when my parents kicked me out. But that doesn't mean Brad and I are even. He hurt me way too much, shattered my heart and left me alone to pick up the pieces and mend it.

🐴

I sit on my small bed, listening to Kerri Smith's newest song, Horseback Dreams. Its lyrics resonate with me in a way that makes me feel so understood.

And when the world casts you aside,

Go to your horse to ride,

Ride, as everything comes apart at the seams,

Little dreamer, keep dreaming those horseback dreams,

Hear the click clack of those hooves,

Even though the world disproves,

Ride, forget about all their schemes,

Little dreamer, keep dreaming those horseback dreams.

They ripped me apart, and tattered me but they healed me in a way no summer fling had. I cried to my truth, to Kerri's truth and cursed the world for being such a cruel and unloving place. Which is when Chad walks in.
I'm not used to being vulnerable with anyone, let alone Chad and I don't want him to see this weak side of myself. So I quickly wipe away my tears as he says, "Brianna, come down for dinner."

"Yeah, I'll be there soon."

When he hears my voice quiver, he looks at me and asks, "Are you crying?"

"No, ever heard of knocking?"

"Sorry... I," he says with uncertainty, "do you need help? You know you can talk to me whenever you want, right?"

"No, Chad," I say, tired of this conversation, "I'm fine, I'm coming."

He leaves, realising I'm not like the girls he seduces on a daily basis. I've never been like other girls, they wear makeup and style their hair, but i've never tried to hide my real self with all of that false pretense.

I wash my face and go downstairs for dinner. The Sloanes are already eating the chicken pie and Mrs. Sloane gives me a warm smile as I take my place and eat quietly.

"Brianna, dear, no need to be so formal, you've already been here for a whole week!" Mrs. Sloane tells me.

I give a slight nod, not knowing how to react.

Mrs. Sloane continues, "Ever since you came into this household, we've had to cook twice the usual amount."

I choke out a laugh. I'm hoping no one can see my face as a blush creeps into my cheek. I get it. I've always eaten a lot. I'm not like other girls, I eat more than the average girl. I just love food and if that makes me different from the others, so be it. I'd rather be my own person than be like other girls. I've always been different in that way, it's what makes me special. It's why the popular guys like Chad were always crushing on me in high school, the other girls may have been attractive, but I was never afraid to be my own person.

Noting my discomfort, Chad says, "Don't give Brianna all the credit, I'm responsible for that, thank you very much."

We eat in silence until Mr. Sloane says, "Chad, I've hired Brad as a farm hand. Ever since my manure store took off, Randy's been busy there. Just make sure he knows what to do, show him the ropes y'know?"

What? Brad's going to work here? No, this is terrible, I can't bear to see his stupidly handsome face every single day as he tries to fix things he's responsible for.